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Monday, 30 September 2019
Nvq 2 Health and Social Care
Give 3 examples of what you can do in your day to day work to support equality and inclusion and reduce discrimination I could support equality and inclusion in my day to day work by involving everyone in activities and and making them feel included. I could also have chats with the service users to make them feel comfortable and feel that someone cares and is there for them when they feel down and know that they can talk to me when ever they want.I could reduce discrimination by challenging it and making sure that the person that discriminates realises it is the wrong thing to do and that they shouldn't do it again as it hurts peoples feelings, by telling them in a calm and professional manner. I would also reduce physical barriers so if someone needed to move something out their way but couldn't move it themselves, I would move it for them so they can gain access to where they want to go.I also promote the service users dignity such as when they need to go to the toilet I would clo se the door so no one can see them and also when they are getting washed and dressed I would close the curtains for their privacy. I would promote their rights and choices, by letting them wear what they want and do what they want if necessary as they may need a risk assessment if wanting to go out somewhere. Describe how you can challenge discrimination If I was challenging discriminatory behaviour I would report it to my supervisor and I would also let the person that discriminated against me know by telling them in a calm and professional manner.Also if a person was on activities and only did activities with the women service users and not the male service users, I would then approach that person and discuss why they won't do activities with the male service users and explain how it is discriminating against the male service users. Having staff training could also help challenge discrimination as it will show you if the situation really needs challenging, and how you could challe nge it properly. Give examples below of legislation and codes of practice in relation to equality and diversity and discrimination that are relevant to you jobs roleHuman Rights Act 1998 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Disability Discrimination Act 2005 Equality Act 2010 Race Relations Act 2000 Equality and Human Rights Commission If you were having difficulties promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in your work, what would you do? Include where you might go to find out information and what support and advice you could access. If I was having problems promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in my work, I would access information and advice from my colleagues and feedback on my practice and take up the opportunity to do a professional development on myself.I could also get information and advice from the Sector Skills Council, Skills for care and also look in books, journals and government websites for current legislations and guidelines to help me promote equality, dive rsity and inclusion. What is ââ¬Å"Duty Of Careâ⬠? Duty of care is a legal obligation towards children and adults using services that are required to work in the best interest of the child or adult and also using care practice which is not detrimental to health well-being and safety of the child or adult.Duty of care also means carrying out practice only within the services own level of competence, role and responsibility. Describe how the duty of care affects your own work role. Give an example where you have carried out duty of care with the individuals you care for. Duty of care affects my work role, as I can only carry out duties for which I am competent and in my job description and having to decline care work which is not. I have carried out duty of care in my work as I work in the best interest to the service users and that is competent to my level and job description.I do this as I have to observe the service users, report any concerns to the supervisor and I work in l ine with the principles and codes of practice in my setting. I also follow standard procedures in my work including the use of resources and equipment and have regular updating of knowledge and skills. Give some example of dilemmas that may arise between the duty of care and an individuals rights. The dilemmas that may arise between the duty of care and an individuals rights is the balance between health and safety and the individuals rights.For example, the individual may want to go out on a walk but it is really cold and icy, so the service may respect the individuals rights but would gladly go along with the individual to make sure they are okay and do not fall. Another dilemma is the right of the individual to make choices of their own care. For example, the individual may want to stay in their room all day, so the service will respect their choice, but will go up and check on them every half an hour to see if they are all right.The concepts of mental capacity is another dilemma as the individual, may not have the mental capacity, so therefore, you cant really ask them what they want or what they would like to do. Asking the individuals family is a good way of getting to know what the individual would like as they know them better than the service. For example the individuals family would know what the individual likes to wear, so the service would respect their wishes and put what they say the individual likes to wear. Where would you get additional support and advice to help you resolve such dilemmas.I would get additional support from my line manager, Care Quality Standards, Ofsted, Tutor, Mentor, and professional bodies such as The Association of Health Care Professionals. An individual you care for is not happy about an aspect of their care and complains to you. How would you respond to the complaint? I would respond to the complaint by listening carefully to the complaint, acknowledge the individuals feelings, clarify and give advice on the procedure s for complaining, focus on the problem and let my supervisor or line manager know about it, and reflect and if necessary, change practice and undergo training.Describe the main points of your organisations procedures for handling complaints. The service would keep them complaint records, identify what went wrong and would respond to the complainant within agreed time, such as apologising or putting things right. Also the service would inform complainant of rights and who to complain to when complaints are not resolved. The service would also reflect on the complaints and improve the practice. Write a personal statement about how you handled an actual complaint you have dealt with.I handled a complaint once at dinnertime, as one service user wanted a burger with mashed potato, but there was no burgers left, so therefore had to have a pasty and complained that the kitchen staff don't do enough food, so I therefore spoke to the individual in a calm and professional manner and said I w ould talk to the supervisor and write it in the complaints book. I then told my supervisor that an individual was complaining about there not being enough food, and my supervisor spoke to the kitchen staff. The kitchen staff then reflected on their practice and now do enough food for each food option.
Sunday, 29 September 2019
The Demographic and Psycho-graphic Market Segmentation
The criteria used to develop the market segment for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.â⬠s new brand of cigarette called ââ¬Å"Dakotaâ⬠is mainly that of demographics, and psyhcographics. The target market in this case appears to be poorly educated, virile white females age 18-20, who enjoy being around their boyfriends and doing whatever their boyfriends are doing, for example going to ââ¬Å"Hot Rod shows, Tractor Pulls, cruising, and going to partiesâ⬠. This target market was most likely selected for two main reasons. The first is because of the enormous profits to be gained from this particular group and the second is because of this groupâ⬠s lack of education and low self-regard. The marketing strategies used in this article clearly define demographic and psychographic market segmentation. Demographic segmentation consists of gender, age, income, family size, family life cycle, occupation, and education. The target market in this article consists of females, age 18-20, single, with no more education than high school. This matches most of the criteria for demographic segmentation. Psychographic segmentation consists of identifying certain lifestyles based on the consumerâ⬠s values, activities, interests, opinions, and demographics. This article conveys that these women are Strivers, which means they are unsure of self and need approval from others. This group also seems to be search of some type of relief from their current lives (relief seekers). All of this data provides an idea of this groups values as well its activities and interests. Which makes this targeted group so vulnerable to tobacco companies marketing efforts. This market was selected because of its size and growth, and also probably because of this groupâ⬠s lack of education. This group of femalesâ⬠aged 18-20 are the only group of Americans whose rate of smoking continues to increase. The reason why this groupâ⬠s rate continues to grow is because they really donâ⬠t know better and if they do they really donâ⬠t care. This creats a wonderful opportunity for lucrative profits from the tobacco companies. This form of marketing is called concentrated marketing, which focuses on one segment of the market. Marketing companies perform market research by collecting and analyzing data and turning this data into usable information. This Information includes demographics as well as phycographics. These young women already have the desire to consume cigarettes and R.J. Reynolds is making sure they consume their particular brand of cigarettes instead of others.
Friday, 27 September 2019
Discussion Board Reply Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2
Discussion Board Reply - Coursework Example It is clear from the study that employees not only look for organizations that care for their current welfare but also those that are concerned about the employees even after they leave the organization upon retirement. As such, establishing firm health insurance and retirement plans would attract more competitive and committed employees to the organization (Sharar, 2009). The study has helped me in understanding the various discretionary benefits that I can input within the organizationââ¬â¢s compensation plan and merge with the pay policies towards ensuring that employees are not just retained within the organization but also motivated towards achieving high productivity. For instance, the employee assistance programs (EAP) would be effective in helping the employees solve any personal issues that they may have away from the workplace, which may negatively affect their performance (Martocchio, 2015). This would ensure that their focus and attention is fully directed towards their work. The study has helped me understand through creating a family setting within the organization, where the employee problems involving family, health, and education are effectively solved, the employees take up the ownership of the organization and thus ensure utmost commitment towards achieving both short-term and long-term goals of the organization. Courtois, P., Hajek, M., Kennish, R., Paul, R., Seward, K., Stockert, T. J., & Thompson, C. (2004). Performance Measures in the Employee Assistance Program. ,. Employee Assistance Quarterly, 19(3),
Consumer and the law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Consumer and the law - Essay Example n, MW billed them for roadside repairs claiming that an insurance note paid for by Seema and Robin contained an exclusion clause exempting liability for such repairs Under the law of contract misrepresentation refers to communication of false facts which induces the recipient to enter into a contract.1 In this regard, misrepresentations can be made either negligently, fraudulently or innocently and the resulting remedies largely depend on the type of misrepresentation made.2 In a typical misrepresentation case, the innocent party can rescind the contract and/or seek damages.3 On the facts of the case for discussion it is difficult to determine whether or not Johnââ¬â¢s representation that the vehicle was fit for its intended use was an innocent misrepresentation of false facts, negligent or indeed fraudulent. Seema and Robin discovered that the car had some mechanical difficulty after half an hour of driving. The problem was discovered by a garage in Oxford. Assuming that MW has their vehicles examined before offering them for hire, the problem with the steering and the gear should have been discovered by MWââ¬â¢s mechanics. In the event the vehicleââ¬â¢s problems had been discovered, Johnââ¬â¢s statement constitutes fraudulent misrepresentation. If no such examination was made, Johnââ¬â¢s statement that the car was fit for its intended purpose was, at the very least negligent. In any event, Robin and Seema will be required to prove that they relied on Johnââ¬â¢s misrepresentation or was at the very least, induced to enter into the contract for hire by Johnââ¬â¢s misrepresentation.4 If they did not rely on the misrepresentation and had relied on their own information and judgment then they cannot claim to have relied on the misrepresentation.5 There is no evidence that Robin or Seema exercised independent judgment. It therefore follows that they relied on Johnââ¬â¢s misrepresentation. In fact, even if John had offered the pair an opportunity to inspect the vehicle and
Thursday, 26 September 2019
International Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 3
International Human Resource Management - Essay Example International human resource management also pays due attention at administering diversified human capital (Scribd, 2012). Role of HRM in the United Kingdom The management of the organisations has become quite difficult and challenging in the present times, essentially in terms of accountability of the managers in administering the people. The managers belonging to the twenty-first century are faced with many regulations as well as restrictions that restrain their independence to act unilaterally. They are also faced with greater volatility as well as changeability in their external environment. The concept of ââ¬ËHuman Resource Managementââ¬â¢ did not initiate in the United Kingdom but in the United States in the period of 1980s. For few people, the term came to present a significant distinct approach to the management of the people. It has been based upon new assumptions regarding the employees, the altering characteristics of the work and regarding how best to enhance the ca pability of the staff in the organisation. It was noted that most of the organisations in the United Kingdom were capable of encompassing the new developments. A number of organisations in the United Kingdom did not embrace the concept related to human resource management because they wanted to retain the personal management title because of the fact that this evaded the impersonal relationship with their employees as human resources. However, with due course of time many ââ¬Ëpeopleââ¬â¢ departments were identified as HR departments (Oxford University Press, 2012). The main objective of the paper is to understand the human resource management practices in the United Kingdom. It will attempt to gauge the background and context of the United Kingdom and will also endevour to offer certain indications on the internal factors as well as the external factors that will have certain bearing on the way in which HRM is carried out in that particular country. The paper will attempt to t hrow light upon the significance of employee relation and will also demonstrate the degree to which culture, political, economic as well as social context have an impact upon the associations. Background and Context of the United Kingdom The United Kingdom can be considered as a monarch state which is situated off the north-western coast of Europe. The UK is one of the developed countries of the world. It has obtained seventh position in terms of biggest nations in the globe concerning nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and with regard to Purchasing Power Parity it is the eighth-biggest economy (GoldGoal, 2011). In the previous times, Britain sought a voluntarist industrial relation system offering the parties belonging to the industrial relations a significant level of freedom to opt for their preferred institutional arrangements. It has been noted in the two decades before the 1998 Workplace Employment Relations Survey overlapped with the Thatcher period. It was during this peri od when a development of the employerââ¬â¢s choice was created by various deregulatory measures thereby minimising legal endorsement for the trade union activity. Till the period 1998, it was found that the employers in the United
Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Visual arts and film studies IP5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Visual arts and film studies IP5 - Essay Example These three art works have been taken from the Baroque, Renaissance and Enlightenment period ââ¬â three different movements in history that greatly influenced the art and artists of their time. Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Ecstasy of St. Teresa The Ecstasy of St. Teresa is one of the greatest masterpieces that have been sculpted by the baroque artist, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Bernini created this life-sized sculpture in white marble for the Cornaro Chapel in Rome under the commission of Venetianà Cardinal Federico Cornaro. This sculpture depicts the scene from the autobiography of Teresa of Avila, a nun and reformer, when she was under the throes of religion ecstasy when the Angel sent by God pierced her heart with a pointed arrow. Done entirely in white marble, Bernini in this detailed sculpture has managed to achieve a variety of textures such as the fold of the Angelââ¬â¢s cloth, the texture of the clouds and the sculpted body of the Angel. Bernini has also added drama to the sc ulpture through the strategic placement of the art piece within the Chapel. The sculpture is placed in a niche where the sculpture is overcast with light falling from above in such a way that the sculpture appears private and secluded. The use of light and dark is typical of the Baroque technique of chiaroscuro (Strickland and Boswell, 2007). Bernini, himself was a devout Catholic and was the favored artist of Pope Barberini but following his accession of Innocent X, Bernini soon fell out of the favor of the new Pope. It was during this time that Bernini was approached by Cornaro and created this sculpture. However, the theme of religion is apparent in this sculpture also since Bernini attended mass regularly and was part of the movement known as Counter Reformation. Counter Reformation was a movement where the church and devout Catholics wants to bring back the passion for the Christ that Protestants had managed to attack furiously in their Reformation movement. This sculpture is t ypical of the Baroque period when most of the artwork was based on the theme of reviving the religious theme and their passion for the people. Baroque tended to favor the elaborate and the dramatic while also emphasizing on detail. The sculpture of St. Teresa is a perfect example of the Baroque period. Michelangelo and the Creation of Adam The Creation of Adam is a fresco created by Renaissance artist, Michelangelo. This fresco is located on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican, Rome and was commissioned by Pope Julius II. This fresco uses symbolic imagery as Michelangelo makes the pointing of the two fingers the focus of the fresco to depict the creation of Adam by God. The pointing of fingers illustrates God giving the breath of life to Adam. This fresco along with the rest of the frescos painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is adapted from the Book of Genesis and thus represents a religious theme. The use of bright colors and outlines make the ceiling more eye-cat ching and clearly visible. Michelangelo was reluctant to work on these frescos since his expertise was sculpture rather than frescos but these frescos marked Michelangelo as one of the best artists in the history of art. While fresco was not the forte of the great artist, elements within the fresco brand these fresco as the work of Michelangelo, such as the use of nude males that were characteristic of the great artis
Tuesday, 24 September 2019
SWOT Analysis of Coca Cola and Pepsi Term Paper
SWOT Analysis of Coca Cola and Pepsi - Term Paper Example This paper seeks to compare and contrast the elements of business adapted by the two soft drinks giants, including PEST and SWOT analyses (Elsbach, 2006). Additionally, the paper analyzes the business culture, performance, and other organizational elements of the two giant organizations. Coca Cola and Pepsi share a similar history: an insignificant business from a simple idea that grows to a multi-billion dollar company after a century. Currently, Coca Cola sales in more than 160 countries to over 6 billion people speaking more than eighty different languages. Similarly, Pepsi is a recognized brand in the whole world, operating in numerous countries and actively competing with Coca Cola for market share. Both organization use mass-marketing strategies, focusing on the entire market rather than particular segments. Moreover, both companies offer similar product line to the same industry, thus propagating stiff competition. Both companies are very innovative as far as product packaging is concerned. Coca Cola introduced the airtight bottle concept, a major revolution of in the packaging and bottling industry. Similarly, Pepsi followed suit and introduced different sizes of returnable bottles (Fernando, 2006). The concept of non-returnable bottles, frosted bottles, and cans is attributable to both the giants. SWOT Analysis of Coca Cola and Pepsi Strengths Both Pepsi and Coke have long history of the world culture for quite some time. The products from the two companies represent over-romanticism and fun, an image that majority of people take deeply at heart. In addition, the brands are well recognized throughout the world, a major strong point. This enables them to operate on the global market while maintaining a local approach. Independent business people with authority to sell and distribute Coke and Pepsi products operate and own majority of the local bottling companies. Indeed, Pepsi and Coke have among the largest distribution networks in the world, which is among the strengths of the two companies (Fernando, 2006). Weaknesses Similar to any other businesses, Coke and Pepsi have their own weaknesses. For instance, the cola drinks from the two companies have experienced a significant saturation and subsequent decline in the past few years. This is attributable to the increasing awareness on the contents of the drinks. Nowadays, consumers are more attracted to healthy drinks than carbonated soft drinks, as addiction to cola drinks has an adverse effect on the human body (Czinkota, Ronkainen, and Moffett, 2009). Opportunities One of the factors affecting the competitive positions of Pepsi and Coke is brand recognition. About 94% of the world populations are aware of the two brands. Despite the saturation in North America, the two brands have enormous potential to expand and operate in non-North American market. For instance, per head consumption of Coke in India is only six bottles per head compared to 700 bottles in the United States. The refore, the two companies have potential for expansion (Oppong, 2011). Threats Being the industry leaders, the two companies face significant threats from emerging companies in the industry. Moreover, the companies are facing serious threats of substitute. Consumers are more attracted to healthier drinks, including coffee, tea, milk, hot chocolate, and milk. Nonetheless, the two giants control over 40% of the
Monday, 23 September 2019
Murder of Santiago Nasar in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Essay
Murder of Santiago Nasar in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Essay Example Since Santiago was responsible for Angelaââ¬â¢s loss of virginity, his death would be expected to be caused by a member or members of the Vicario family; more precisely, Santiago Nasar was killed by two brothers, Pablo and Pedro, from the Vicario family. Santiago Nasar was going to be killed according to Marquez (67). The two brothers from the Vicario family had vowed to avenge their sisterââ¬â¢s virginity since it robbed their family of honor. A bishopââ¬â¢s visit to the town threw the events of the day into disarray and shifted the attention from the foretold murder. The bishop decided, at the last minute, to stay on the boat on which he had travelled rather than get in town. Santiago Nasar was a member of the ruling class, together with his friendsââ¬â¢ family. The family of the narrator in the story was close friends with Santiagoââ¬â¢s family, which gave the narrator the expectation that before the bishop left the town; he would have personally paid them a visi t. Everyone, for sometime forgets about the saga that involved the return of Angela to her home after the wedding. The Vicario brothers were going to kill Santiago. Except few people, almost all the dwellers of the town including the priest and the mayor were aware that two identical twin brothers, Pablo and Pedro Vicario, were in a mission to find Santiago Nasar with the intention of killing him (Marquez 163). Santiago Nasar remained unaware of the plot by Vicario brothers to kill him until the time they accosted and attacked him. The manner in which the story unfolds is inverted, hence does not give very clear evidence of the murder at first. The story unfolds backwards rather than forwards. The possible reasons for the murder, the circumstances surrounding the murder and the motivation behind it are traced. The evidence that the Vicario brothers were going to kill Santiago is built from the importance they give to accomplishing their revenge mission. Angela Vicario was married by Bayardo San Roman in a flamboyant wedding ceremony. Barely five hours later, Bayardo returned her to her parents. The consequences of not being a virgin were potentially dangerous, a fact that Angela was very much aware. She, in fact, wanted to stop the marriage knowing very well that there existed no love between them. The Vicarious family, were so much impressed by Bayardoââ¬â¢s wealth and were, therefore, opposed to the decision by their daughter to stop the marriage. Her brothers were particularly not pleased by the incident and had vowed to kill whoever had deflowered their sister. Bayardo did not love Angela and neither did she love him. Rather, Bayardo was excited about the idea of marrying a beautiful woman. Bayardo San Roman used the wedding ceremony as an excuse to show off the power and wealth he wielded. According to the narratorââ¬â¢s comment, Bayardo San Roman could marry any woman he wanted to. His wealth and power came from the fact that he had been born of a decorated hero, the only one to defeat Colonel Aureliano Buendia, in a civil war fought in the nineteenth century. Lack of love may not have been a reason good enough to stop the marriage between Angela Vicario and Bayardo San Roman. However, the fact that Angela had lost her virginity to somebody other than her proud husband, Bayardo, was a reason enough to make her return to
Sunday, 22 September 2019
Human Element Essay Example for Free
Human Element Essay This study is related to an important topic that influence the evolution of both public and private institutions via improving human resource management and, hence improving the human resource itself, which occupies a vital and outstanding position in the comprehensive development strategies. Also, because of the role that effective human resource plays in planning and implementing development. Therefore, human element is considered an investment in the bright future of the institutions. Human resource is an innovative element that is described as an interactive rather than a rigid element, which is able to coordinate, maintain a balance between the various constituent of production and take the responsibility for the results of operations. On the other hand, external circumstances, such as the economic, political, social cultural and environmental factors, affect human element more than any other element. The researcher has selected Giad Automobiles Manufacturing Co. LTD, as a case study to introduce the influence of human resource development on employeesââ¬â¢ performance. The results have been determined based on the analysis of the employeesââ¬â¢ responses to the questionnaire that surveyed the employeesââ¬â¢ community in the company. The questionnaire has tested the following hypotheses: 1- There is a relationship between the development of human resource management and the development of the working human element. 2- There is a relationship between the development of the human element and the development and improvement of performance in the institution, which leads to an increase in the production and, hence achieving the objectives. The researcher has applied several methodologies, such as case study methodology, descriptive methodology, and statistical analysis. The researcher has confirmed the validity of all the above hypotheses, in addition to the research outcomes that have led the researcher to conclude the study with some suggestions and recommendations.
Saturday, 21 September 2019
The way weaponry has been portrayed. Essay Example for Free
The way weaponry has been portrayed. Essay Theme: The way weaponry has been portrayed. Throughout literature poets have used various literary devices in order to convey their message to the audience. Wilfred Owen has cleverly personified weaponry in the context of war and has woven it in his poems. This in turn accentuates the message he is trying to convey the paradox of War. The use of this tool is most prominent in three of his poems, The Last Laugh, Arms and The Boy and Anthem for Doomed Youth. In these poems he depicts weapons as sinister, flesh-hungry savages whose only purpose is to kill. In Anthem for Doomed Youth Wilfred Owen writes and elegiac sonnet moaning the loss of innocent life. Like his other poems to one too is steeped in irony. War he wants to point out is not fanfare and glory. It is dirt and muck and pain and struggle which ultimately end in death. His view of war is greatly influenced by his own experiences. Disenchanted, brutalised and lied to by his own nation he like so many others felt betrayed. They were taught that war was glorious and soldiers were proud and valiant, the truth of it was that war was none of these and soldiers were being herded like cattle to tthose deaths. He goes on to personify weapons in the Last Laugh as mocking the soldiers that they ruthlessly killed using words such as ââ¬Å"guffawed and chirpedâ⬠In the poem Arms and the Boy, Owen changes the portrayal of the weapon and showcases it as a toy that is being handed out to a child ââ¬Å"Let the boy try along this bayonet-bladeâ⬠. Along with the description of the weapon Owen also juxtaposes the loss of innocence that prevailed during the time of war. In the poem Sonnet On Seeing a Piece of Our Heavy Artillery brought into Action Owen portrays weapons as an object that has to be paid respect to, this is shown by the words ââ¬Ëthou, theeââ¬â¢. He furthermore goes on to personify the guns by saying that he slowly lifted ââ¬Ëthou long black armââ¬â¢ and also describes the destruction that they eventually cause. The four poems have a lot of literary devices packed into them such as sound imagery, metaphors and personification which compliment his description of the weapons. World War 1 was the war that changed history. The use of mechanised weapons on an unsuspecting enemy proved to be the biggest challenge. Earlier war was seen as something glorious and evenà chivalrous. World War 1 overturned that view, the senseless bloodshed, the ruthless use of weapons made this war anything but glorious. Owen was one such soldier who first hand experienced the horrors of war and unlike poets before him conveyed the reality of war. He and a few others were instrumental in ripping the faà §ade of the honour and glory that war claims to be. His poems are raw, undisguised versions of the harsh reality of what was occurring in the t renches of the Western Front. Wilfred Owen uses a significant amount of literary devices to convey how weapons play a large role in warfare. His poem the Last Laugh begins with an expletive, ââ¬ËOh! Jesus Christ! Iââ¬â¢m hitââ¬â¢ the title itself is rich in irony as the poem goes on to depict how the weapons that are personified ââ¬Ëchuckleââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëguffawââ¬â¢ at the soldierââ¬â¢s death. Lines like ââ¬Ëthe bullets chirped, machine guns chuckledâ⬠¦and the Big Gun guffawedââ¬â¢ reveal the dark humour that underlies the poem. The use of onomatopoeia adds to the chilling darkness of the imagery, ââ¬Å"tut tut and the way the splinter spat and titteredââ¬â¢ are evidence of this. His use of alliteration enhances the poetic tempo. The ââ¬Ëlofty Shrapnelââ¬â¢ is personified as it ââ¬Ëgestures leisurelyââ¬â¢ at the dying man calling him fool. Weapons are further personified as grim, hostile entities. The Bayonets have ââ¬Ëlong teethââ¬â¢ and grinned as ravels of shells ââ¬Ëhoot and groan and gas hissesââ¬â¢. The use of capital letters to classify the weapons furthe r draws attention to their significance, in this case as purveyors of destruction. In Arms and the Boy, Owen depicts how innocence is destroyed by war. The title itself seems like an oxymoron because children are usually not associated with weapons. The poem begins with a calm suggestion of letting the boy try the bayonet blade and see how ââ¬Ëcold the steel isââ¬â¢ The bayonet itself is personified as a creature with a predatory nature, ââ¬Ëitââ¬â¢s keen with hunger of bloodââ¬â¢ its appetite is further described as ââ¬Ëfamishing for fleshââ¬â¢ this use of alliteration of fricative sounds embellishes the rapacious nature of the weapon, it is described as being ââ¬Ëblue with all malice, like a madmanââ¬â¢s flashââ¬â¢ this simile conveys the cruelty and evil that is associated with this weapon. By using explosive sounds and the use of adjectives such as cold increase the sinister effect of the weapon. The second stanza similarly begins with a tender gesture asking the young boy to ââ¬Ëstroke these blind blunt bullet leadsââ¬â¢ the use of consonanceà adds to making the bullets seem less deadly than they are words such as ââ¬Ë long to nuzzleââ¬â¢ portray warmth but ironically the euphuism , ââ¬Ëin the hearts of ladsââ¬â¢ stands for the death of young children. Cartridges are described as having fine zinc teeth, their sharpness is compared to ââ¬Ëthe sharpness of grief and deathââ¬â¢ in saying ââ¬Ëgive himââ¬â¢ these weapons of destruction the poet is juxtaposing innocence with experience and death. Owen does so in a manner that seems innocuous asking the boy to play with these objects of death and destruction. The third stanza ââ¬Ëhis teeth seemed for laughing round an appleââ¬â¢ conveys the idea of childish innocence. The young boy does not have fangs nor ââ¬Ëclaws behind his fingers suppleââ¬â¢. Furthermore Owen writes ââ¬ËGod will grow no talons at his heels or ââ¬Ëantlers through the thickness of his curlsââ¬â¢. This conveys that God had not meant for man to be like a beast. Man needs to arm himself with weapons to don the mantle of a predator. In showing the young boy through the ââ¬Ëthickness of his curlsââ¬â¢ further implies how angelic and innocent he is. Owen is bereaved that he will one day pick up the weapons of destruction and will thus be robbed of his innocence. Owen uses many literary devices such as personification to depict the weapons he says the cartridges ââ¬Ëhave fine zinc teethââ¬â¢ and the bayonet is described as being ââ¬Ëkeen with hunger of bloodââ¬â¢. The poet alludes to Virgilââ¬â¢s epic the Aeneid ââ¬Ëof arms and the man I singââ¬â¢. The poem itself uses half rhyme and alliteration ââ¬Ëfamishing for fleshââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëblind blunt bullet leadsââ¬â¢ to convey the tone of the poem which is largely sinister. In his poem ââ¬ËAnthem for doomed youthââ¬â¢ Owen takes the theme of how weapons destroy one step further. Here to the imagery is stark and the poem begins with sound imagery, ââ¬Ëwhat passing bells for these who die as cattle?ââ¬â¢ The reference to cattle further shows the diminished emotion that war instils in humans. Soldiers are equated to cattle and the death knells are merely in passing. Written as a Petrarchan sonnet with a ABA rhyme scheme Anthem for doomed youth vividly demolishes the myth of soldiers being valiant of glorious in battle. Here too weapons are personified guns are shown as having ââ¬Ëmonstrous angerââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëthe stuttering ripples rapid rattleââ¬â¢ The use of alliteration further enhances the sound imagery as the reader is transported back in time. Word s such as ââ¬Ëstuttering and patterââ¬â¢ convey a sense of grief and hesitation. There is no one to grieve for those who haveà died, ââ¬Ëno mockeries now for themâ⬠¦nor any voice of morning save the choirsââ¬â¢ and these choirs are that of the ââ¬Ëshrill demented, wailing shellsââ¬â¢ by using words such as wailing and mourning Owen is trying to depict the harsh reality that the soldiers had to face. There is neither fanfare nor celebration ââ¬Ëand bugles call for them from sad shiresââ¬â¢ the soldiers are portrayed as the forgotten, remembered only in the ââ¬Ëpallor of girlââ¬â¢s browsââ¬â¢ And in the ââ¬Ëtenderness of patient mindsââ¬â¢. Owen juxtaposes very interestingly the two themes of religion with war. The imagery of candles and flowers are harshly juxtaposed against that of death and pain. His use of mild innocuous language contrasts sharply with the violence of the action depicted. The two stanzas are starkly different as the first vividly describes the horror of war and the second the hope of the families left behi nd waiting for fathers, brothers, sons to return. The disillusionment and bitterness is illumined in this poem. The tone is contrite and bitter and a sense of irony pervades the poem. Written as a eulogy the heading conveys the theme perfectly, it is truly an Anthem for the youth who are doomed to die in a war that made no sense. In the Sonnet that Owen wrote he describes the weapons initially as an object those possesââ¬â¢ majestic qualities. He praises the gun by calling it ââ¬Å"Greatâ⬠which shows his respect for this artillery. He furthermore shows the Gun ââ¬Ëtowering towards heavenââ¬â¢ which shows that the gun is about to attack God himself, portraying the amount of power that it posses. He personifies the gun and lifted its ââ¬Ëlong black armââ¬â¢. He also describes the canon as a weapon that protects its soldiers as well as kills. Throughout this poem he admires the weapons but the last two lines reveal his true perception of artillery. Harsh words such as ââ¬Ëcut thee from our soulââ¬â¢ shows the level of resentment that he has against weapons as he also asks God to ââ¬Ëcurse theeââ¬â¢. The title itself is absurd as a Sonnet is a poem that is addressed to a lover however he uses it differently and uses it to both praise the weapons as well as criticise them. All of Wilfred Owens poems are bound by the sense of irony. His poems resound with pathos. He truly conveys the pity of war and doesnââ¬â¢t seek to elevate it as poets in the past did. His poems are stark snippets of reality as were experienced by young soldiers in trenches. The horror, the infestation the overpowering stench of war is all beautifully conveyed through his poetry. His poetry does not want to glossà over reality it is reality.
Friday, 20 September 2019
The Desktop Publishing DTP Computer Science Essay
The Desktop Publishing DTP Computer Science Essay Refers to the use of computers to design and publish books, brochures, newsletters, magazines and other printed pieces. DTP is really a combination of several different processes including word processing, graphic design, information design, output and pre-press technologies, and sometimes image manipulation. DTP centers around a page layout program. Typically, a layout program is used to import Texts created in word processing programs; Charts and graphs from Spreadsheet programs; drawings and illustrations created in CAD, Drawing or paint program is then used to combine and arrange them all on a page. It is this ability to manipulate so many different items and control how they are used that makes layout software so popular and useful. However, modern word processors also have publishing capabilities, meaning the line separating such programs from DTP software is becoming less clear. in general, though, powerful new publishing systems use high-quality scalable fonts and give you control over typographic features such as Kerning(adjusting the spaces between letters to achieve even, consistent spacing). Another key feature of DTP software is text flow the ability to put text around graphic objects in a variety of ways. Once composed, DTP documents are printers on a laser printer or on a high resolution imageaetter. for transfer to a commercial printer, their native page layout format (such as Adobe inDesing or QuarkXpress) or as PDF files. PDF stands for Portable Document Format and allows people to view, search and print documents exactly as the publisher intended, you donà ´t need to have the software and the fonts used to create it. History Desktop publishing began in 1985 with the introduction ofà Mac Publisher, the firstà WYSIWYGà layout program, which ran on the original 128Kà Macintoshà computer. (Desktopà typesetting, with only limited page makeup facilities, had arrived in 1978-9 with the introduction ofà Text, and was extended in the early 1980s byà Latex.) The DTP market exploded in 1985 with the introduction in January of theà Appleà LaserWriterà printer, and later in July with the introduction ofà PageMakerà software fromà Aldusà which rapidly became the DTP industry standard software. The ability to createà WYSIWYGà page layouts on screen and thenà printà pages at crisp 300à dpià resolution was revolutionary for both the typesetting industry and the personal computer industry. Newspapers and other print publications made the move to DTP-based programs from older layout systems likeà Atexà and other such programs in the early 1980s. The term desktop publishing is attributed toà Aldus Corporationà founderà Paul Brainerd[1], who sought a marketing catch-phrase to describe the small size and relative affordability of this suite of products in contrast to the expensive commercialà phototypesettingà equipment of the day. By the standards of today, early desktop publishing was a primitive affair. Users of the PageMaker-LaserWriter-Macintosh 512K system endured frequent software crashes, the Macs tiny 512 x 342 1-bit black and white screen, the inability to controlà letter spacing,à kerningà (the addition or removal of space between individual characters in a piece of typeset text to improve its appearance or alter its fit) and otherà typographic features, and discrepancies between the screen display and printed output. However, it was a revolutionary combination at the time, and was received with considerable acclaim. Behind-the-scenes technologies developed byà Adobe Systemsà set the foundation for professional desktop publishing applications. The LaserWriter and LaserWriter Plus printers included high quality, scalable Adobeà PostScript-fonts built into theirà ROMà memory. The LaserWritersà PostScriptà capability allowed publication designers to proof files on a local printer then print the same file at DTPà service bureausà usingà optical resolutionà 600+ ppi PostScript-printers such as those fromà Linotronic. Later, theà Macintosh IIà was released which was much more suitable for desktop publishing because of its larger, color screen, support for multiple displays, greater RAM capacity and itsà SCSIà storage interface which allowed fast, high-capacity hard drives to be attached to the system. Although Macintosh-based systems would continue to dominate the market, in 1986, theà GEM-basedà Ventura Publisherà was introduced forà MS-DOSà computers. While PageMakers pasteboard metaphor closely simulated the process of creating layouts manually, Ventura Publisher automated the layout process through its use of tags/style sheetsà and automatically generated indices and other body matter. This made it suitable for manuals and other long-format documents. Desktop publishing moved into the home market in 1986 withà Professional Pageà for theà Amiga,à Publishing Partnerà (now Page Stream) for theà Atari ST, GSTsà Timeworks Publisherà on the PC and Atari ST andà Calamusà for theà Atari TT030. Even for 8-bit computers like theà Apple IIà andà Commodore 64à software was published: Home Publisher,à The Newsroomà andà geo Publish. During these early years, desktop publishing acquired a bad reputation from untrained users who created poorly-organizedà ransom note effectà layouts criticisms that would be levied again against earlyà webà publishers a decade later. However, some were able to realize truly professional results. For example,à .info magazineà became the very first desktop-published, full-color, newsstand magazine in the last quarter of 1986, using a combination of Commodoreà Amigaà computers, Professional Page desktop publishing software, and anà Agfaà Graphics typesetter.[2] Often considered a primary skill, increased accessibility to more user-friendly DTP software has made DTP a secondary skill toà art direction,à graphic design,à denvelopment, marketing,à administrative careersà and advanced high school literacy in thriving economies. DTP skill levels range from what may be learned in a few hours (e.g. learning how to put clip art in a word processor) to what requires a college education and years of experience (e.g.à advertising agencyà positions). The discipline of DTP skills range from technical skills such asà prepress productionà andà programmingà to creative skills such asà communication designà andà graphic image development. Terminology There are two types of pages in desktop publishing,à electronic pagesà and virtual paper pages to be printed onà physical paper pages. All computerized documents are technically electronic, which are limited in size only byà computer memoryà orà computer data storageà space. Virtual paper pages will ultimately beà printed, and therefore require paper parameters that coincide withà international standard physical paper sizesà such as A4, letter, etc., if not custom sizes for trimming. Some desktop publishing programs allow custom sizes designated for large format printing used inà posters,à billboardsà andà trade show displays. A virtual page for printing has a predesignated size of virtual printing material and can be viewed on a monitor inà WYSIWYGà format. Each page for printing has trim sizes (edge of paper) and a printable area ifà bleed printingà is not possible as is the case with mostà desktop printers. Aà web pageà is an example of an electronic page that is not constrained by virtual paper parameters. Most electronic pages may be dynamically re-sized, causing either theà contentà to scale in size with the page or causing theà content to re-flow. Master pages are templates used to automatically copy or link elements and graphic design styles to some or all the pages of a multipage document. Linked elements can be modified without having to change each instance of an element on pages that use the same element. Master pages can also be used to apply graphic design styles to automatic page numbering. Page layoutà is the process by which the elements are laid on the page orderly, aesthetically, and precisely. Main types of components to be laid out on a page includeà text, linkedimagesà that can only be modified as an external source, and embedded images that may be modified with the layout application software. Some embedded images areà renderedà in the application software, while others can be placed from an external source image file. Text may beà keyedà into the layout, placed, or (withà database publishingà applications) linked to an external source of text which allows multiple editors to develop a document at the same time. Graphic design styles such as color, transparency, and filters, may also be applied to layout elements.à Typographyà styles may be applied to text automatically withà style sheets. Some layout programs include style sheets for images in addition to text. Graphic styles for images may be border shapes, colors, transparency, filters, and a parameter designating the way text flows around the object called wraparound or runaround. Comparisons With word processing While desktop publishing software still provides extensive features necessary for print publishing, modern word processors now have publishing capabilities beyond those of many older DTP applications, blurring the line betweenà word processingà and desktop publishing. In the early days ofà graphical user interfaces, DTP software was in a class of its own when compared to the fairly Spartan word processing applications of the time. Programs such as Word Perfectà andà WordStarà were still mainly text-based and offered little in the way of page layout, other than perhaps margins and line spacing. On the other hand, word processing software was necessary for features like indexing and spell checking, features that are common in many applications today. As computers and operating systems have become more powerful, vendors have sought to provide users with a single application platform that can meet all needs. With other electronic layout software In modern usage, DTP is not generally said to include tools such asà TeXà orà troff, though both can easily be used on a modern desktop system and are standard with manyà Unix-like operating systems and readily available for other systems. The key difference between electronicà typesettingà software and DTP software is that DTP software is generally interactive and WYSIWYGà in design, while older electronic typesetting software tends to operate inà batch mode, requiring the user to enter the processing programs markup language manually without a direct visualization of the finished product. The older style of typesetting software occupies a substantial but shrinking niche inà technical writingà and textbook publication; however, since much software in this genre is freely available, it can be more cost-effective than the professionally-oriented DTP systems. It is also particularly suitable for corporate newsletters or other applications where consistent, automated layout is important. One of the early and comprehensive reference books on the art of Desktop Publishing is Desktop Publishing For Everyone by K.S.V. Menon. This publication deals with virtually every facet of publishing and nearly all tools available as at the time of the publishing of this book in the year 2000. It is currently out of print. There is some overlap between desktop publishing and what is known asà Hypermediaà publishing (i.e. Web design, Kiosk, CD-ROM). Many graphicalà HTML editorsà such asà Microsoft FrontPageà andà Adobe Dreamweaverà use a layout engine similar to a DTP program. However, some Web designers still prefer to write HTML without the assistance of a WYSIWYG editor, and only resort to such software, if at all, solely for complex layout that cannot easily be rendered in hand-written HTML code. DTP applications Adobe FrameMaker Adobe InDesign Adobe PageMaker CorelDRAW Corel Ventura iStudio Publisher Microsoft Office Publisher OpenOffice PageStreamà (used to be Publishing Partner) QuarkXPress Ready,Set,Go Scribus Serif page plus
Thursday, 19 September 2019
Death of A Salesman :: essays research papers
Amidst Willy's late-night yelling, Charley, a neighbor and friend of the family, enters from outside, wondering what all the commotion is about. He starts a card game with Willy in order to settle him down. Out of friendship, he offers Willy a job after hearing about his problems as a salesman. Willy is quick to take offense at this offer, saying that he already has a good job. Later, when Willy brings up the subject of Biff, Charley advises Willy to give up on his son. ââ¬Å"When a deposit bottle is broken you don't get your nickel back,â⬠Charley asserts. Yet Willy is not willing to let go of his illusions about his sons' potential for success. Soon, Willy begins to confuse Charley with his brother, Ben. This leads to a flashback of sorts to a scene with Willy and Ben. It seems Ben and his father left to make their fortunes sometime in Willy's early childhood, leaving Willy and his mother behind. It's obvious that Willy idealizes Ben because he has ââ¬Å"made itâ⬠in the world. Willy is remorseful that he didn't take his brother up on his offer to run his business in Alaska. That was an opportunity of a lifetime, Willy admits. Yet Ben has little time to spend with his little brother. Willy, excited that Ben is there to give advice to his sons, forces Biff and Happy to listen to their Uncle Ben, hoping that they will learn his business techniques and strike it rich themselves. In this way, Willy sees the potential success of his sons as the only remaining hope of being successful himself. It all seems quite simple to Ben. He tells Biff and Happy, ââ¬Å"Why, boys, when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God I was rich.â⬠This ideal, however, proves to be unattainable by Willy and his sons when Willy's desperate struggle for success and happiness is never achieved.
Wednesday, 18 September 2019
A Comparison of Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac :: comparison compare contrast essays
A Comparison of Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac à à à Why. Excuse me. Why. Does. Excuse. Why me. I mean. Excuse me. Why. Does. It . Always end up this way. Like this. A performance. It's my best excuse. And. I'm on the wagon. Again. Why. Excuses. Sitting in the state of a daydream. No. Falling. A performance. Why what it comes down to. Poetry. And. My two main men. Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. Both use their individual voice to perform the buddhistic beat they feel is part of their poetry/ their beatific movement. Even though these two poets influenced each other. And. Their voices are significantly different. Each has a personal style one cannot deny. And. Each boy added his separate beat to the music they created as a generation. A beat generation. Jack's buddhistic jazz/ blues chorus poetry is domesticized/ tainted Christianity-wise. And. Allen's sound becomes zentific without Christianity/ hanging on a cross in the backbeat of his prose poetry. While each may have his own personal style/ both poets use the same techniqu e in sound. And. Rhythm to give their audience something to bugaloo to. Excuse me. What's. That. Poetry. Baby. A performance. So. Please brother. Take a chance. And. Dance. (She says that as she shh shh shivers.) "It's all gotta be non stop ad libbing within each chorus, or the gig is shot" (Kerouac, 1). And he meant every word of it. Jack's system of jazz/blues choruses work on/carry on harmonically as well as through certain words or phrases put together through sound. And also like jazz, his music, seemed to happen spontaneously, like nothing was planned. à In the '182nd Chorus', the ideas behind the phrase "The Essence of Existence is Buddhahood" is carried on into the '183rd Chorus' with the phrase "This is the real Buddha" (Allen, 171). It is like a bar of music in a jazz or blues riff. The idea and sound of one chord moves into the next, traveling, never knowing where it is going to end up. Just like the idea and sound of one line in one of Jack's choruses moves into the next, traveling, never knowing where it is going to end up. It sounds and looks spontaneous. à And because of this it is meant to be preformed out loud so it can be heard like a jazz or blues riff wailing.
Tuesday, 17 September 2019
Impact of Standardized Testing Essay
There is a vast literature available concerning African American male student accomplishment and its relation to the accomplishment gap occurrence (Perry, Stelle, & Hilliard, 2003; Thernstrom & Thernstrom, 2003; Hrabrowksi, 1998; Ogbu, 1998; Patterson, 2006; Polite & Davis, 2001; Duncan, 1999; Freeman, 1999). Researchers and media channels explain the causes of African Americans continuously staying behind their White partners. Several provide limited allegations concerning African American male student accomplishment from either a past, sociological, or monetary view when deciding school achievement or failure. On the contrary, sufficient notice has not been granted to experiential and mixed methodological styles for assisting in advancing the debate concerning the provision of efficient resolutions toward narrowing the achievement gap that exists between African American male learners and counteracting deficit-model styles. In ââ¬Å"Educating African American Males: Voices from the Fieldsâ⬠, the author Fashola (2008) and some other important academician researchers tackle this matter. The book is segmented in eight chapters, locating itself in many thematic areas that include social, ethnic, and past matters; school reform; primary, middle and high school experiences; structural analysis of manliness; institutional types of prejudice; and extra-curricular activities which assist in the promotion of affirmative self-confidence and analytical skills for African American males. Altogether, the providers enunciate the requirement of novel styles by demanding the educational commune to shift beyond conventional means of accomplishment and to comprehend the importance of social, past, ethnic, behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and educational styles that add to the broadening of the achievement gap between African American males and their white partners. Cooper and Jordan (2003) tackle the issues of African American male student achievement and they do this by locating and investigating the past as well as the methodical impacts of prejudice and also by displaying the way institutionalized domination have a part to play in the broadening of the achievement gap. The authors assess the elements such as uncontrolled unemployment, poverty, and insufficient accessibility to health care as the possible elements of African American males not being franchised in the circumstance of school and community. The authors imply that an ââ¬Å"intergenerational povertyâ⬠(p. 2) exists which disseminates a self-fulfilling prediction for several of African American males. Ogbuââ¬â¢s (1998) research allows for the contextualizing of such past injustices. It is implied that ââ¬Å"the treatment of minorities in the wider society is reflected in their treatment in educationâ⬠(p. 159). In his book Noguera (2003) assists in the contextualizing of few of the practical attitudes which are required for the comprehension of certain of the behavioral trends of African American males which have an impact on them in school. The author offers information and research which record the way they were marginalized and wronged by the schooling experiences in the capitalist educational frameworks. Text offers a qualitative study which looks for determining the part that educators have in the motivation of students; teachers can utilize this information to reassess and modify their educational and instructional practices and also to fulfill the requirements of African American males and at the same time provide with suitable scaffolding so as to assist the learners in meeting the academic standards. Along with this, Noguera also debates that the learners are to be taught and habituated so as to see that the academic institutions are advantageous to them and also that the anticipations for them are high. Noguera writes about the schooling experiences of African American males by assessing their accomplishment trends in public schools and tackling with their consequent detachment. He writes that Black males underperform on standardized tests and that they undergo much higher drop-out rates. Although Black males achieve much and their performance is good in the primary grades, they tend to underperform by the age of nine (Garibaldi, 1992). His recommendation is that the educators should be placing literary and language enrichment at the head of their instructional concerns. This is particularly important during their primary school times; supplementing with the talents allows for African American males to become self-sufficient, analytical thinking is principal for their general intellectual achievement or failure. Development of Problem An operational attitude to the tradition of schooling also offers a valuable contextual structure for the investigation of student ââ¬Å"oppositionalityâ⬠and ââ¬Å"resistanceâ⬠(Ogbu, 1998) as minor traditional features displayed by particular minority learners in reaction to their communal marginalization. The idea of identity and the way it is written either by a person or the community is made pertinent by the reactions of these marginalized learners and is a vital part of a sufficient hypothetical viewpoint on tradition. The academic achievement gap which is present between African American and White learners is a very urgent contest for the urban education in the United States in the present times. Generally, the rank and academic achievement of minority groups in science have been issues of concern in various areas (National Science Foundation, 1994; Atwater, 2000). In a wide-ranging assessment of the issues, Jencks and Phillips (1998) suggest that there should be an application of methodical and preserved research attempts targeted at investigating the causes for the low performance of particular minority groups. When discussing the achievement gap and displaying it as a challenge for the urban education, there has to be an emphasis placed on certain aspects of the urban schools which are responsible for the existent gap. In the United States, the fact that the majority of the Black students study in urban or inner city institutions is correct, and on the other hand White students normally study at suburban schools. It is possible that this factor is responsible for the achievement gap between the Blacks and the Whites and it provides with an urban/suburban aspect. Urban academic institutions are also different from the suburban ones in the accessibility of the study material and commune sources. Even though the fact that the suburban schools normally have much better sources in contrast to the urban schools is true, an exploration can be made in whether the resources that are accessible for the urban schools are utilized most advantageously so as to improve the student involvement and intellectual accomplishment. Even though standardized testing traditionally has been slackly connected to responsibility and student education, the association had been weak. The association between student education and high-stakes standardized testing became more distinct, and a rise in the utilization of the tests has reached classic magnitude following the introduction of the No Child Left Behind. The argument behind such a connection is that raised pressure to perform well on standardized tests, and also a series of incentives and penalties, will raise the student education and accomplishment. Impacts of such testing standards have broad results, not just on the current generation but also on the next generations of youth. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to assess the impact that standardized testing has on African American male students. The study aims to display the issues connected with the impact of standardized testing on African American males. African American males face discrimination and due to that they do not perform as they should in their academics. Innumerable researches have been conducted to examine African American youthsââ¬â¢ academic results. There is relative concentration with a stress on the achievement gap between African American youths generally and also that of other ethnic categories, like the Europeans and Asian Americans. Several conceptual structures have been offered which propose the achievement gap in educational results is the outcome of societal-level discrimination which afflicts African Americans (for example, Fordham & Ogbu, 1986; Ogbu, 1987, 1994; Steele, 1997). In reality, several of the studies record the negative impacts of such macro system-level elements on the encouragement and intellectual accomplishment of African American learners (Howard & Hammond, 1985; Ponterotto & Pedersen, 1993; Steele & Aronson, 1995). Nature of the Study Social research can be deductive or inductive and each is applied according to the research type. Deductive approach refers to particular information that has been gained from a general theory. Through the theory the researcher gets the foresights concerning the happening. Deductive research is termed as theory testing. In the case when a research initiates with a theory and is following the hypotheses that the researcher has set to test, the approach is deductive. Deductive reasoning sets to work moving from the more universal to the more precise. Induction is usually described as moving from the specific to the general. Observations are used for inductive approaches. Inductive reasoning moves from the more specific to a broader generalization and theory. In this case there is quite some uncertainty involved and the conclusions are based on theories.
Monday, 16 September 2019
Film Review: All Quiet on the Western Front Essay
After being put through training camp under the harsh command of Corporal Himmelstoss, the group of friends is shipped out to the front lines. It is there that they see firsthand the tragic and often bloody effects of war. The film as a whole is told from the point of view of the Germans, which in my personal opinion takes away the romanticism that other films depicting this time period tended to include, and gave the movie more appeal because of what I felt was a more realistic, and less biased depiction. In All Quiet on the Western, we are given perspective from that of young German soldiers, and in providing the audience with this perspective, the Germans are humanized. This films message emphasizes the harsh reality of war, the fact that it took a toll on the ââ¬Ëenemyââ¬â¢ as well, how pointless WW1 really was, and how preventable it could have been. After being persuaded to enlist in the army by their impassioned teacher Kantorek, Paul and his fellow classmates are quickly sent off to basic training. While there, they are under the command of the sadistic Himmelstoss. He is charged with training the young men, and does that but has an unfortunate penchant for harshly punishing anyone for even the smallest mistake. When their training is completed, the men are sent to the front lines, where they are put under the charge of Stanislaus Katczinsky. Katczinsky proves to be a much fairer and pleasant leader then Himmelstoss. It is by him that the boys are taught what is most important in the war and how to achieve it: staying alive. With an increasing number of encounters with the enemy, comes an increasing amount of casualties. After losing many of his friends throughout the efforts of war, and being injured himself, Paul returns home. But when there, finds himself uncomfortable with his old life, and readily returns to the front lines. Although I enjoyed the general premise of the plot, which in my knowledge seemed fairly realistic, there were several scenes and developments in the plot that I felt dragged on too long. One of which was when the boys were sent off to training camp, I felt that much of their time there that was shown was just them learning the same basic things over and over again, and this seemed to take up a reasonable amount of time without any real plot development. Overall, Paulââ¬â¢s transition from an innocent to a weary man knowledgeable in the ways of war is good as pot overall, but there were certain developments that tended to drag on pointlessly and had somewhat of a dulling effect on the movie. I have very limited knowledge on what a person who experienced, or had been in the process of experiencing WW1 should have been like, therefore my opinion on the following is just that of my personal opinion. Iââ¬â¢m not sure if this really pertains to the actors and the portrayal of their character, but the majority of the characters in the film seemed to be very muted in their expression of opinion and emotions except for that of the character of Himmelstoss, who came off as more of a caricature. Although Richard Thomas does a decent enough job at giving his character some depth in his portrayal, such as the scene when Paul is left with only the company of a French soldier who is half alive because of previously being stabbed by Paul, this seems to serve as the only real look that we get at his inner turmoil. The direction in which the director has taken also seems somewhat stinted and drawn out. The issues pertaining to the war are addressed, but when being addressed are either paid extreme attention, or none at all. An example of the latter would be when Paulââ¬â¢s fellow soldier joins him in the hospital after having had his leg amputated. The film focuses on this plot development for such a drawn out amount, that the significance of it is somewhat lost. In contrast, there is a scene where Paul is witness to a fellow soldier suffering from the effects of mustard gas, and he seems like he is hardly affected by this brief occurrence, which is never mentioned again. From what I can tell the script was well written in accordance to the situation, and the narrations by Paul served to further the story rather then hinder it. Although at times the dialogue seemed somewhat lacking, I feel that during such situations dialogue would realistically be lacking. Considering that All Quiet on the Western front is a made for TV movie from the late 70ââ¬â¢s, I canââ¬â¢t really get to into itââ¬â¢s technical quality. There were a few things though that I thought could have been improved in that area. One of which was the overall editing of the film. As I have said before, there were some seems that didnââ¬â¢t serve to further the movie at all, and some that were extended to a point of boredom. An example of such an instance were many of the battle scenes, which just seemed to drag on. The battle scenes also exhibited another flaw in the technical aspect of the movie, which was the exclusion of actual blood from the battle scenes. The lack of blood when it came to the battle scenes gave the film more of a contrived feel. The view that was afforded during the battle scenes was not the best either, the camera having a tendency to shy away when anything too gruesome, such as a bomb going off would occur. In this respect though it did allow the quality of sound affects to prevail, providing our imagination with at least some sense of the battlefield. As film overall, the film paints a picture and concludes in a way that stresses and conveys the director and writerââ¬â¢s point: The needless innocence was lost in a war that could have very well been avoided. Although the scenes tend to drag on in certain points, everything of importance is included in the film, which is better then leaving too many things out. The character in the film effectively play the role of the soldier, but can be lacking in certain parts, which leaves me confused as to if this is purposeful or not. The film could have shown more of the gory effects of war to really convey the severity of it to the audience, and could have delved deeper into itââ¬â¢s effects on the characters rather then pointlessly dragging on. But overall these things do not discourage the film from conveying itââ¬â¢s overall point, and the generally plot is one that is fresh and surprisingly enlightening.
Sunday, 15 September 2019
Work Is a Blessing
In ââ¬Å"Work Is A Blessingâ⬠by Russel Honore, he talks about how he found out that work really is a blessing. Living in a family of 12 children, he had to get a job and the age of 12, he complained about this job to his grandpa and dad. They told him that work is a blessing. It took him years to understand this statement. Russel attended college but he had to get a job to pay for it. The job at ROTC was a requirement at first, but later turned into a way of life.Honore was in Bangladesh and saw a woman working. What really made him pay action to this woman was that she was breaking bricks with a hammer and she had a baby on her back. He asked his partner why they donââ¬â¢t get a machine to do that; and the men told him that if they did that the woman would lose her job and not have a way to feed her family. Honore then realized that to work is really a blessing. In this story he talks about how working is a great achievement, even if it isnââ¬â¢t best job.Getting a job that anyone may not like is better than not having a job at all. I had a job as a cook and I didnââ¬â¢t like the job very much, but I just dealt with it. It was a starter job that helped me pay for a couple of things that I needed to help me get to college. I didnââ¬â¢t like the boss and didnââ¬â¢t like the coworkers but that didnââ¬â¢t change the fact that I was one person out of so many who got a job when I really needed one. According to Honore when people donââ¬â¢t have a job they are not free.Which I believe he is right on this. Have you ever had a moment when you couldnââ¬â¢t buy something because you didnââ¬â¢t have money? Well, that just proves youââ¬â¢re not free. No matter what, in life anyone will have to pay for something. Honore retired from the Army but still works. He helps people to prepare for a disaster. He also plans on getting into a little farming someday. Honore says he will never stop working. Thought out Honore years he has learned to appreciate his fatherââ¬â¢s words.
Saturday, 14 September 2019
Mis Answers to Cases Essay
MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology College of Business Administration and Accountancy School of Graduate Studies MASTER IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Iligan City REAL WORLD CASE 1: Toyota Europe, Campbell Soup Company, Sony Pictures, and W.W. Grainger. Making the Case for Enterprise Architects Toyota Europe, Campbell Soup Company, Sony Pictures, and W.W. Grainger. Making the Case for Enterprise Architects Submitted to: Professor Adrian Galido, PhD Submitted by: Sandee Angeli M. Villarta September 4, 2013 Toyota Europe, Campbell Soup Company, Sony Pictures, and W.W. Grainger. Making the Case for Enterprise Architects Toyota Europe, Campbell Soup Company, Sony Pictures, and W.W. Grainger. Making the Case for Enterprise Architects REAL WORLD CASE 1: ââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬â- 1. What does the position of enterprise architect entail? What qualifications or experiences would you think a good enterprise architect should have? Support your answer with examples from the case. An enterprise architect position involves knowing the current technology in the enterprise in respect of its usage: efficiency both in material cost and output resulting in good productivity and finally huge gains, or whether the technology in use is still competitive or on its stage of fall such that when the technology is about to become obsolete or has outlived its usefulness to the enterprise, the enterprise architect has to tell it all to the top management and of course the new technology to be adopted in lieu of the old one. This is because among the job of the enterprise architect is to map, define/redefine, gather data, standardize technology and business processes and to translate these into an architectural approach (macro view) to make the business work as a whole, but able to work in individual projects within the macro, not only at present but also in the future. Experience gained from IT, Service, Distributors of Heavy Equipment, Marketing and Service companies are preferred. Courses such Engineering, IT, Business and Marketing and from Masteral Courses in Business Management are favored though other courses may also produce better enterprise architects. The case of Toyota Europe shows a good example that its enterprise architect was able to make its enterprise strategy worked in the present environment and successfully carried it into the contemplated future. That is why its Chief Architect Mr. Heinchkein was able to give a good account of what the job of the enterprise architect should be for that is exactly what he had done to Toyota Europe. The experience of Campbell Soup Corp. when it implemented the concept of enterprise architect found it very useful from its description that the enterprise architectââ¬â¢s work sees to it the best is served for the enterprise as a whole against the individual department and individual projects for things are being centralized and therefore harmonized with optimum efficiency as part of its architectural approach. Enterprise architecture (EA) is a contested term that refers to the architecture of an enterpriseââ¬âan organized complex of people and technologiesââ¬âand the activity of describing or designing enterprises. Enterprise IT Architecting. According to this category, the purpose of EA is the greater alignment between IT and Business concerns. The main purpose of EA is to guide the process of planning and design the IT/IS capabilities of an enterprise in order to meet desired organizational objectives. Typically, architecture proposals and decisions are limited to the IT/IS aspects of the enterprise; other aspects only serve as inputs. Goal: Create unity Qualifications: * Focus on four crucial Cââ¬â¢s: connection, collaboration, communication, and customers. * UNITY ââ¬â Establish IT that enables business strategy today and tomorrow * Must map, define, and standardize technology, data, and business processes to make that possible * Must have both Macro and Micro view. Macro: Understand the business strategy and translate this into an architectural approach Micro: Ability to work with individual projects and deliver very concrete guidance to these projects that focus on the successful delivery of the individual project within that macro view * Must know how to bridge silos * Transforms tech-speak into the language of business solutions * Knows what technology is needed to enable business strategy * Acts like a city planner Provide: Road maps, zoning, common requirements, regulations, and strategy, only that he does this in a company. * Desires to serve what is best for the enterprise vs. the individual department or project ââ¬â Andy Croft, Campbell Soup Companyââ¬â¢s VP of IT ââ¬â shared services. * Holistic Approach: Looking at the bigger perspective ââ¬â take a step back and try to understand what problem the proposed project will solve. Is there already a solution that covers the proposed area being researched? Does the proposed project fit into the wider picture? * Ensures that the pieces of the wider-picture puzzle fit together ââ¬â Heinckiens * Should create compliance standards * Should provide the necessary data that are useful and relevant to everyone in the company. (blueprint) Who owns the data? Who should receive permission to access the data? * Must be a voice that many kinds of people can understand ââ¬â Tim Ferrarell, CIO and senior VP of enterprise systems at W.W. Grainger. * Should think at a strategic level and all the way down to the operating level * Should understand how to move and down that chain of abstraction * Know how to deal with conflicts and trade-offs; * Has to gain the confidence of the senior leadership team. * Vision ââ¬â Must understand how the company works, where it wants to go, and how technology helps or hinders. So that effective working relationships can bloom. Should have business and technical knowledge. * Enterprise architects continuously reinforce to business-side counterparts the expected returns on IT projects as the temptation to cut spending grows. * Architecture plan to ensure that IT provides a competitive advantage 2. Consider the different companies mentioned in the case and their experiences with enterprise architecture. Does this approach seem to work better in certain types of companies or industries than in others? Why or why not? Experiences of the four respective companies mentioned have worked successfully in their enterprises. It is submitted, however, that the difference of business nature and other factors attendant to specific line of business, while admitting that every enterprise indisputably needs to adopt current technology and may need enterprise architect, the degree of success attained thereof varies. The peculiarity of a certain business enterprise may require less the participation of enterprise architect. The old adage that ââ¬Å"the only permanent thing in this world is changeâ⬠truly applies to every enterprise. This being so, one business strategy may be copied wholly or partly with varying degree of success and sometimes even dismal failure. This also means that for a period of time this enterprise architectural approach may work but not for a lifetime as is approach or strategy may be outmoded or rendered obsolete with the advent of new environment and technology, among others. 3. What is the value derived from companies with mature enterprise architectures? Can you see any disadvantages? When the state of matured enterprise architectures is reached, it is also expected that the maximum benefits in terms of business profit margins, stability of the enterprise, expansion of business and formation of new enterprises, and even the production of new products and services are also attained with maximum efficiency and productivity. However, note must be taken of the fact that once maturity is attained there are accompanying disadvantages such as the deceleration of upward movement and may have even reached its peak. Once one is at its peak, the likely thing to happen is for to slide down. Maturity in any undertaking has also its corresponding negative aspect. Such as the lukewarm attitude towards going into new discoveries and therefore allow itself to be drowned into the depth of obsolescence. Or the belief that since these enterprises with matured architectures that they are at the top, they tend to rest on their laurels and think that nobody could outsmart them in terms of finding new and innovative ways to improve the lot of enterprises. When they are in on this stage, they are likely to suffer an imminent loss. REAL WORLD ACTIVITIES 1. Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a recent approach to systems development and implementation that has much in common (and some differences, as well) with enterprise architecture. Go online and research the similarities and differences. Prepare a report to summarize your work. ââ¬Å"Service-oriented architecture is a client/server software design approach in which an application consists of software services and software service consumers (also known as clients or service requesters). SOA differs from the more general client/server model in its definitive emphasis on loose coupling between software components, and in its use of separately standing interfaces.â⬠both aim to address issues on the enterprise level (strategy and planning, reference architecture, and so on), and at the same time their governance models are similar. An enterprise thatââ¬â¢s adopting SOA while developing EA and its governances may encounter problems if the similarities and overlaps between EA and SOA are not recognized and accounted for. Architecture domains: similarities and differences The following summarizes the similarities and differences when considering the concepts of architecture in both SOA and EA: Similarities SOA and EA domains share many similarities. For example: * Both address similar architectural domains. * Both are intended to closely align IT with business. * Both use input based on business objectives. * Both require similar strategies and planning activities. Differences While the focus of the EA architecture domains is on the macro level, the SOA architecture domains work on a micro level. More specifically: * EA focuses on defining business components, while SOA focuses on business services. * EA deals with application frameworks and enterprise applications, while SOAââ¬â¢s scope is on service modeling only. * EA deals with enterprise-level infrastructure including servers, databases, and so on, while SOA focuses on the infrastructure that supports services, namely the Enterprise Service Bus. * EA addresses enterprise integration patterns and when they should be used, including point-to-point integration;à file transfer, and other traditional application integration approaches Potential Problems Because of the overlap in the architecture domains of both EA and SOA, the following potential problems may arise when the two are developed in isolation: * If the enterprise focuses only on SOA, itââ¬â¢s possible that other EA aspects are ignored. For example, legitimate needs for integration approaches and standards other than those supported by SOA (for example, point-to-point interface) may be ignored and not addressed on the enterprise level. Also, without EA organizations may fall into applying the Golden Hammer antipattern (if a hammer is your only tool, then every problem looks like a nail) and attempt to use SOA for every solution, even the ones that donââ¬â¢t benefit from such architecture. * With parallel efforts to develop an SOA and EA concurrently, you might encounter inefficiencies as a result of duplicate efforts and missed opportunities to leverage existing architecture artifacts. Itââ¬â¢s conceivable that two teams working on developing SOA and EA can spend unnecessary time and resources producing duplicate, and sometimes contradicting. Information models, infrastructure, system-management policies, strategies, and tools. 2. Have you considered a career as an enterprise architect? What bundle of courses would you put together to design a major or a track in enterprise architecture? Break into small groups with your classmates to outline the major areas that should be covered. (No need to break into small groups; just outline the major areas that should be covered) To become an enterprise architect, it requires more than having a degree in engineering, architecture, IT, and business. It demands years of hands-on experience. As a graduate of Entrepreneurial Marketing I can say that I have the knowledge on how to manage a business; in what ways will the business be more profitable; and by what means it can sustain in this competitive economy. Nonetheless, theories are not enough for the industry to survive. To qualify as an enterprise architect I must work for at least 8 ââ¬â 10 years in an industry to be equipped with the right knowledge, skills, and experience on how the whole system works. The courses which may be bundled are: * Engineering Courses * Mechanical * Electrical * Civil * Industrial & Systems Engr (ISyE) * Business and Management Courses * Marketing * Economics * Accounting * Business Management * Investment & Financial Risk Management * Architectural Studies (Undergrad and Graduate Studies) * MArch/Master of Business Administration * MArch/Master of Computer Science * MArch/Master of Science in Civil and Engineering * Environmental Engineering (Construction Engineering and Management or Structures) * IT Courses * Master Degree Courses * Preferably MBA * Architectural Studies (cited above) * Trainings and Seminars on: * Six Sigma * Business Process * Process Improvement (Innovation and Continuous Improvement) * Cross-functional Team * IT ââ¬â Management and Strategy * Marketing and Product Management * Quality and Business Planning * Enterprise Software * Enterprise Architecture * Security * Cloud Computing * Vendor Management * Consulting * Business Intelligence * Governance * Software Project * Outsourcing The courses which may be bundled are: Business Courses ââ¬â Marketing, Accounting, IT with Industrial Psychology; Engineering (Mech., Automotive, Electl., Civil, Electronics, Computer) and technology courses may also be bundled with IT and Industrial Psychology. Then Sociology, Community Development, Political Science, AB English, Psychology with IT.
Friday, 13 September 2019
Attitudes of Health Care Providers to Persons with HIV/AIDS
Attitudes of Health Care Providers to Persons with HIV/AIDS Attitudes of Health Care Providers to Persons Living With HIV/AIDS inà Lagos State, Nigeria Sylvia Bolanle Adebajo1, Abisola O Bamgbala1 and Muriel A Oyediran2 à ABSTRACT This study was conducted to examine the knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of nurses andà laboratory technologists towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) and the factorsà responsible for these attitudes. Information was elicited from 254 randomly selectedà nurses and laboratory technologists from 15 government owned health facilities in Lagosà State with the use of a structured questionnaire. Results indicate that most of theà respondents (96.3%) had moderate to good knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Respondentsââ¬â¢ levelà of knowledge was influenced by the level of formal education attained, length of practice,à gender and attendance at refresher courses on HIV/AIDS (p 0.05). Attitude towards PLWA was poor. Some (55.9%) of the healthà workers felt that PLWAs are responsible for their il lness, while 35.4% felt that theyà deserve the punishment for their sexual misbehaviours. Only 52.8% of the respondentsà expressed willingness to work in the same office with a PLWA, while only 18.0% wouldà accept to visit or encourage their children to visit a PLWA, probably because of the fear ofà contagion. It is, therefore, essential that health care providers be properly informed inà order to improve their quality of care for PLWAs. (Afr J Reprod Health 2003; 7[1]: 103-à 112) à KEY WORDS: AIDS, HIV, attitude, health care providers, PLWA INTRODUCTION From the beginning of the pandemic in 1981 to date, HIV has continued to spread at theà rate of more than 10,000 new cases per day despite significant efforts made to contain itsà spread.1 If this trend persists unchecked, a cumulative total of over 60 million adultsà would have been infected by the end of the year 2000 with the largest number (63%)à emerging from sub-Saharan Africa.2 Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa is not spared, as the epidemic continues toà show a rapidly increasing trend with a median prevalence of over 5% and over twoà million people already infected. With the increasing number of people living with HIV/AIDS, AIDS control andà preventive strategies must not only continue to encourage behavioural modifications byà all, but should also highlight the need to respect the rights to care of the increasing numberà of people with HIV/AIDS. In addition, there should be full integration of these personsà within the context of their families and the society at large in the most appropriate waysà that would allow them to continue to live productive lives socially and economically. In reality, however, the fear of being infected at workplaces, educational institutions andà in the community has led to irrational and discriminatory treatment of people living withà HIV/AIDS (PLWA). Their rights to employment, housing, education and even health andà nursing care are being violated because of their HIV status.5-7 This practice unfortunatelyà exists despite strong evidence from research that has revealed that non-sexual contact withà HIV positive individuals carries little or no risk.5, 8-11 This is even more so if carefulà precautions with blood products are taken, as this further protects people from contractingà the infection. à Health care providers, who are also members of the general community, are likely to elicità similar prejudicial and fearful reactions to HIV/AIDS infected persons as members of theà community. The resultant effects of such negative attitudes include poor patientà management, with people being denied most needed treatment, care and support. This inà turn could affect their morale, self-esteem and self-determination to live quality livesà devoid of stigma, fear, repression and discrimination. Maintaining the desired quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS is poss ible mainlyà through extensive, competent and compassionate nursing care. Yet, the provision of thisà care raises health and occupational concerns for all levels of health care providers. Thereà is, therefore, an urgent need for all health care providers, particularly nurses who haveà direct contact and spend more time with patients, to examine their personal attitudesà towards PLWAs, as this can compromise compassionate care. This study is aimed at determining the level of knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of nursesà and laboratory technologists towards HIV/AIDS infected persons and to recommendà appropriate measures to address the deficiencies identified.à MATERIALS AND METHODS This descriptive cross-sectional survey of three hundred registered nurses and laboratoryà health technologists was conducted between July and September 1999 in Lagos State, theà most populous state in Nigeria. It was conducted to assess their level of knowledge of theà causes, m odes of transmission and methods prevention of HIV/AIDS and their attitudes toà people living with HIV/AIDS using a well structured, self-administered questionnaire thatà contained 44 items. With permission sought from all relevant authorities, selected respondents who gave their full consent to participate in the study were recruited. Prior to this, they were dulyà informed about the general nature and purpose of the study and their right to withdraw atà any time without prejudice to their present or future employment. Respondentsââ¬â¢ level of knowledge of HIV/AIDS was computed by judging their answers toà the causes, modes of transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS. A mark was awarded forà every correct response to a set of questions and no mark was awarded for incorrectà responses. The total mark obtainable was sixteen and the levels of knowledge based on theà highest scores attainable were as follows: 0-9 = poor knowledge; 10-12 = fair knowledge;à and 1 3-16 = good knowledge. Similarly, respondentsââ¬â¢ attitude to PLWA was also assessed quantitatively judging fromà the proportion of `yesââ¬â¢ responses to individual questions asked on how they would react,à relate or treat PLWAs. These responses were computed individually.à Sampling From a comprehensive list of government-owned health facilities in the Lagos metropolis,à fifteen health facilities were randomly selected by simple balloting. From each selectedà health facility, a list of names of nurses and laboratory technologists was obtained fromà the respective medical directors. From the list, respondents were selected by stratifiedà sampling method using a ratio of two laboratory technologists to three trained nurses. Aà maximum of 20 health workers comprising thirteen nurses and seven laboratoryà technologists were recruited from each health facility. To ensure anonymity and confidentiality, respondents in each health facility wereà requeste d to drop their completed questionnaires devoid of personal identities into sealedà boxes provided by the study team. The questionnaires were administered and collected inà the boxes provided by the principal investigator assisted by four experienced and trainedà interviewers. Two hundred and fifty four questionnaires (84.6%) were returned at the end of the dataà collection exercise. Data obtained were crosschecked for consistency and analysed usingà the statistical analysis software (SAS Institute Inc, Cary, C). RESULTS Two hundred and fifty four health workers comprising one hundred and four (40.9%)à laboratory technologists and one hundred and fifty nurses (59.1%) were surveyed. Thereà was a disproportionate sex distribution of 181 (71.3%) females and 73 (28.7%) males.à Many (56.7%) of them were aged between 30 and 39 years with a mean age of 36.0 yearsà (SD 6.42). Less than half of the respondents had practiced for 10-15 years with an average duration of 10.4 years (SD 5.64). Over three quarters of the respondents wereà Christians and the majority of them had been sponsored by their health facilities to attendà at least one refresher course on HIV/AIDS. Levels of Knowledge of HIV/AIDS Two hundred and forty respondents (94.5%) claimed that they had seen at least one caseà of AIDS. Based on a total of 16 marks, one hundred respondents (39.4%) had very goodà knowledge, one hundred and forty five (57.1%) had fair knowledge, while only nineà (3.5%) had poor knowledge. A high level of knowledge of HIV/AIDS was displayed byà respondents who had higher level of formal education compared to those with lower levelsà (p = 0.016). The longer the length of practice, the higher the level of knowledge (p =à 0.0003); more males (40.6%) than females (37.5%) had excellent scores on knowledge (p= 0.009); and attending a refresher course on HIV/AIDS was associated with a higherà level of knowledge (p = 0.01). In contrast, age, occupation and religion did notà significantly influence the level of knowledge of respondents (p > 0.05). Although the overall level of knowledge of the modes of transmission and methods ofà prevention was fair, there were some deficiencies and misconceptions. (Table 1)à Causes and Modes of Transmission of HIV Over ninety five per cent of the respondents knew the causes of AIDS and correctlyà identified heterosexual intercourse, blood transfusion and sharp instruments as someà modes of transmission of HIV. However, in addition to these, some respondents believedà that HIV could also be transmitted through insect bites (15.7%), hugging or touching anà infected person (9.4%), sharing the same toilet and cooking utensils with an infectedà person (9.4%), and by having skin contact with an infected person (27.1%).à High Risk Target Population People who indulge in prostitution, homosexuality and multiple sexual partnering wereà correctly identified by ove r 90% of the respondents as groups of people at high risk ofà contracting HIV. However, an appreciable proportion (50%) of the respondents failed toà identify commercial drivers, adolescents and drug addicts as other high risk groups. Likewise, the respondents had poor knowledge of the groups of people least likely toà contract HIV. For example, 72.4% and 92.1% respectively of the respondents incorrectlyà identified patients in hospital and health care providers as groups also at high risk ofà contracting HIV/AIDS. Areas of Misconception Identified à Some degree of homophobia was detected among the respondents. Over one third of theà them felt that all homosexuals have AIDS. A large proportion of the respondents (82.7%)à did not know that women are at increased risk of contracting or transmitting HIV duringà their menstrual period. A few of the respondents (18.1%) felt that AIDS is curable ifà treatment is commenced early. Although 94.5% of the respond ents correctly identified blood as a vehicle of transmissionà of HIV, only 81.1% and 71.7% correctly identified vaginal and semen secretionsà respectively. Furthermore, 69.9%, 78.0% and 76.4% of the respondents respectivelyà thought that HIV can be transmitted through saliva, tears and sweat.à Attitudes of Respondents to People Living with HIV/AIDS Two hundred and thirty eight respondents (93.7%) believed that HIV/AIDS is a seriousà threat to health workers and 87% believed that treating PLWA puts them at increased riskà of contracting HIV. Many of the respondents (79.5%) believed that an HIV infectedà person poses a great danger to others, 34.7% felt that HIV infected persons should beà isolated, over half (55.9%) felt that AIDS patients are responsible for their illness, and 90à (34.4%) felt that they deserve the consequences of their reckless life as a form ofà punishment from God. Many (89.8%), however, felt that they do not deserve to die.à Majority ( 94.5%) felt that they deserve to be treated with empathy and understanding andà given the best medical care possible. Whilst many of the respondents felt that persons with AIDS should be allowed to liveà their normal lives, i.e., to continue working or schooling, 44 (17.3%) believed that theyà should be relieved of their jobs and 50 (19.7%) recommended that students infected withà AIDS should be expelled from school. The majority of respondents (91.3%) claimed that they would retain their friendship withà PLWAs, 154 (52.8%) expressed their willingness to work in the same office with anà AIDS patient and only 46 (18.0%) said they would visit or encourage their children toà visit an AIDS patient. Attitude of Health Workers towards Treatment of HIV/AIDS Patients Ninety three per cent of the respondents accepted that they are duty bound to treat all illà ersons irrespective of their HIV status and agreed to treat persons known to be infectedà with HIV/AIDS. A l ower percentage (87.4%) agreed to examine or touch them. Most ofà the respondents (87.4%) advocated for the screening of all patients prior to admission intoà the wards particularly those admitted for surgical procedures, but only 108 (42.5%) wouldà encourage the admission of PLWAs to the wards. à Respondentsââ¬â¢ Level of Awareness of the Universal Precautions against HIV Two hundred and eight respondents (81.9%) were aware of and had read the universalà precautions for health workers, while only 66 (26.0%) were aware of its existence at theirà workplaces. Only about half (52.4%) were privileged to attend a refresher course on HIV/AIDS, and when asked almost all the respondents expressed the desire to attend aà refresher course on HIV/AIDS if given the opportunity. Attitudes of Health Workers to HIV Screening Only seventy respondents (28.0%) had been screened for HIV. Of these, 31.4% wereà screened prior to blood donation, 45.7% out of curiosity or for p ersonal interests, 17.1%à either on doctorââ¬â¢s advice or for routine antenatal check, and 5.7% for travel requirements.à Other respondents (72.0%) had never been screened because of fear (18.5%), high cost ofà the test(s) (9.8%), and a strong conviction that they will never be infected (71.7%).à However, many of the respondents (83.5%) said they were willing to be tested if HIVà screening is provided free of charge. All the respondents unanimously agreed that HIVà screening should be made free for all health workers. More respondents aged 30-39 years (37.5%) had been screened for HIV when comparedà with 11.1% and 16.2% of those aged 20-29 years and above 40 years respectively (p =à 0.0001). More male respondents (46.6%) had been screened for HIV compared to 20.3%à of females (p = 0.0003). The longer the length of practice, the less likely it was forà respondents to have been screened (p = 0.03). Also, 34.6% of the laboratory technologistsà were screen ed, compared to 23.3% of nurses although this difference was weaklyà statistically significant (p = 0.049). In contrast, the level of formal education and religion of respondents did not significantlyà influence whether or not they were screened for HIV (p > 0.05). DISCUSSION Until recently, HIV/AIDS control programmes in Nigeria had focused primarily onà preventing the spread of HIV through behaviour modifications. However, with theà growing number of PLWAs, there is increasing concern on the crucial role of the healthà care delivery system in providing wide range of care and support. This has becomeà inevitable as almost every person living with HIV is bound to fall sick at one time or theà other, thereby requiring medical care from health workers who are well trained andà willing to provide such care. The study revealed that a significant proportion (96.5%) of the study subjects hadà appreciable (moderate to high scores) knowledge of the causes and preve ntion of HIV/ AIDS. However, in spite of this, there existed many gaps in their knowledge of HIV andà they had various misconceptions regarding how HIV/AIDS can be transmitted. Inà addition, a strong apprehension on how to handle the contagious nature of the disease wasà revealed. Most of the respondents (96.0%) knew the causative agent of AIDS to be a virus and theà main modes of transmission to be sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, sharing sharpà objects and perinatal transmission. However, there were also erroneous beliefs by theà majority of the respondents that the HIV could be transmitted through insect bitesà (84.3%), touching and hugging (90.6%), sharing of toilet facilities with infected personsà (90.6%), and poor levels of health and nutrition (92.9%). Okotie et al, in their studyà amongst civil servants, reported much lower figures of 36.8% and 37.9% on the sharing ofà utensils and casual kissing respectively as other modes of transmission.à Epidemiological studies throughout the world have reported only three main modes ofà HIV transmission. One is through sexual intercourse with an infected person; second,à through exposure to blood, blood products or transplanted organs or tissues; and third,à from an infected mother to her fetus or infant before, during or shortly after birth.à Casual contacts such as touching, hugging and kissing an infected person with HIV/AIDSà do not result in HIV transmission.18 Respondents had varied knowledge of people at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Whilst a significant proportion correctly identified prostitutes (100%), homosexuals (93.7%), people with multiple sexual partners (94.4%), only 64.6%, 44.4% and 45.2% ofthe respondents respectively correctly identified intravenous drug users, commercialà drivers and adolescents as other high risk groups. In addition, many of them did not seemà to know groups of people who are least likely to contract HIV/AIDS. For exampl e, 92.1%à and 72.4% of the respondents felt that health workers and in-patients are at very high riskà of contracting HIV. Odujinrin et al reported much lower figures (51.5%) of health workersà who identified homosexuals as a high risk group. Studies have suggested that the risk of nosocomial transmission of HIV is extremely lowà (0.3%) even after accidental parenteral inoculation.6,8,17,20-21 The incidence of HIVà infection resulting from needle stick injury is a rare event with only 41 cases reportedà worldwide.
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